Amber's Unicorn
by Pinkbowbunny
Summary: Amber has always wanted a unicorn, but maybe it's just one of those things in life that isn't meant to be... Or is it? Rated T for mature themes, it's more light hearted than not, but still kinda a little bit sad. Desmond/Amber, Amber-centered.


(Hey. I think STF has mentioned unicorns a few times passingly, but I don't remember any showing up from the episodes I'd watched, only the flying horses. So if any unicorns have shown up in the show that I didn't see, lets just pretend they didn't, lol...)

Ever since she was a very little girl, the one thing Amber had always wanted more than anything, was her very own unicorn.

But then, that was because it was the one of only a few things her father had never been able to get for her. Flying horses were already exceedingly rare, but unicorns were tenfold as rare. Those who managed to capture one usually never kept them for long - Either a fortune would immediately fly into their hands from shadowy and persistent sources, to lessen the burden of the magical beast, or they would try to keep them caged up as an attraction, which would either result in the owner being found mysteriously gored to death or otherwise dead under highly unusual circumstances in a matter of days. Which was honestly another reason why Roland wasn't exactly in a rush to provide his daughter such an exceptionally dangerous prized pony.

Amber was as hopeful a child as any other, but just like any other child, she eventually began to grow up and learn that, though it was rare for someone like her, there were some occasions where one just couldn't get everything they wanted. Fanciful childhood dreams were nice and all, but as a Queen-in-training, she had much more important things to consider. Like a future husband and co-ruler...

But then, that turned out to be just another one of those times when you had to learn you couldn't always get what you want. Oh, once upon a time, Amber had wanted Prince Zandar so badly! She'd wanted that boy more badly than she'd ever wanted anything, save for that impossible unicorn. And so, for that matter, had Hildegard. A secret quarrel between them grew into something steadily more volatile, until a bickering match turned into a rather mean and ugly set of tricks and sabotage attempts while one or the other tried in vain to get his attention.

And then, after all that, after nearly destroying their friendship over it, it turned out Zandar was seeing Princess Jun!

Well, thankfully, the two of them made up and promised not to make such a mistake again, and indeed, Hildegard found another dashing Duke from her old friend Clio's country to court, and Amber suddenly found herself aware that a certain shy prince had been keeping a close but silent eye on her for some time. After confronting him about it soon after, Desmond suddenly admitted in turn that he had always thought Amber was the most beautiful and captivating woman he'd ever known. Suddenly as shy as she was used to him being by his ardent display of boldness, Amber found her stomach in a flutter as he leaned in and asked her if he could kiss her. She agreed to let him, and suddenly she realized, not getting exactly what you wanted wasn't always a bad thing...

So shortly after their graduation from Royal Prep, Amber and Desmond announced they would marry, and there was much rejoicing in their kingdoms and families.

And yet, despite how sure she was in her heart that she wanted to be with her husband-to-be, Amber was not rejoicing on the day of her wedding. She'd gotten up bright and early with the morning star to get perfectly ready. Her snow-white and sunflower Summer dress was just as beautiful as the one her mother had worn on her wedding day, and had been fashioned after it. But instead of letting the servants perfect her hair and make-up right away as well, Amber had a fit of nerves about all that lied ahead in her future, and all that she was leaving behind. Not thinking much about the wedding that was only three hours away, Amber 'commandeered' a flying horse for herself and flew away with it, into the air, and towards the Northern forests. She had every intention to go back, just in the nick of time, but at least in that moment, it felt like her last chance to be free, at least just one more time...

She landed the white wedding stallion in a prettily flowered and safe-looking clearing, where there was a stream nearby the drink from and a large golden willow tree to hide in. Beneath that Willow tree, Amber sat down to think and be by herself. She'd looked forward to her wedding day every since she was a little girl... Everyone was there, all of her friends, and of course her family, her brother, sister, father and mother... But her mother...

Miranda was as fine a mother as any could ask for, and she had of course helped Amber with all the preparations, and everything before that since meeting her as a girl. But Amber couldn't help but overhear an old maid sighing wistfully as she tied flower garlands to the stair banister, "Oh, how our dear old Queen would have loved to see her daughter today, like this... God bless her soul in heaven..."

It had settled deep in Amber's heart. She had only known her mother for a very short time before a sudden serious ailment took her sweet young life much too soon, but those golden hair and eyes and that brilliant smile had always been alive in Amber's soul, and that memory wept for itself through her as she sat beneath the Willow tree.

She had her face in her hands, weeping softly, when suddenly a branch snapped ahead of her. She looked up quickly, and to her utter amazement, it wasn't a lion or some other terrible beast about to pounce on her, but an inquisitive and magnificent white horse, with a golden mane, golden hooves and and golden eyes, and complete with a curled golden horn in the middle of it's forehead.

Although it wasn't a lion, that horn still gave the princess much reason to pause in fright, until the beautiful creature snorted and whinnied, and trotted calmly over to her.

"O-Oh!" Amber sighed in relief. "You're nice! I wasn't sure, but I hoped! Oh, I love unicorns! I've read everything there is about them, and I know unicorns like maidens, but some books say they only like -virgins- and well," She blushed just a little and chuckled a bit to herself, intending to leave that thought be, even though she didn't think the other being could understand her, anymore than flying horses or regular horses did...

But then, to her great shock, although the magnificent white muzzle stayed closed, a lovely womanly voice, not young or too old, emitted between them, from that beautiful but frightening golden horn, and into Amber's mind telepathically, answering her, "That's not -exactly- true, dear. We're attracted to pureness of heart, not sexual purity, and young maidens just tend to be purer of heart than most others. But even if the latter was the case, you -are- wearing a wedding dress..."

"Oh!" Amber exclaimed again as the beautiful horse pointed that out, "That IS true! But still, my husband, er, -fiance- and I haven't -quite- married yet..."

"That's still no one else's place to judge." The horse-like lady snorted back to her, and then proceeded to walk around her and the willow tree as she commented, "Well, I won't ask you why you're here in the middle of the forest on your wedding day. I don't need to know that, only that you're here. I've learned over the 17 years I've been on this Earth, that destiny has a way of taking us where we need to be. Sometimes it seems like we're not quite in the right place, but that's only because we're not quite in the place we'd LIKE to be YET. But even when we feel like we're lost, we're not really. We're simply in between places that we're needed..."

Amber sighed again, more than a bit more irritated this time. "Forgive me, Madam Unicorn, but I'm afraid I just don't understand what you mean! I know where I'm needed, and I know where I truly want to be - And yet, I still feel lost!"

"It's more common than you think." The creature soothed her as she stepped around the tree, and sat down next to Amber. "I know where I'm needed right now, too. I have a foal in a tree hollow not far from here. But I sensed your pure heart here, and I heard you weeping, so, I felt I was needed here, and since my foal was sleeping peacefully, I went to you. Now why are you weeping, my child?"

Even when she was a child, no one had ever addressed Amber as a child, except for her father. So she couldn't help but mention, even to as rare a creature as the unicorn that she'd always longed to see "You know, I'm actually a princess..."

"Yes, I knew that!" The horse's lips went up to bare it's teeth in a comical smile, making it seem like it was grinning or laughing at her. "You're Princess Amber of Enchancia! I already knew who you were. I knew you once, in fact, when you were just a baby!"

"What? Really?" Amber blinked back in surprise, but then she couldn't help but narrow her eyes in suspicion. "Wait, that can't be right! You just said you're seventeen years old! I'm twenty!"

"I know that too." The lady-unicorn nodded patiently. "But you see Princess, us unicorns have very exceptional memories. Have you ever heard the expression, 'An elephant never forgets'? Well, us unicorns are a lot like that too. We can even remember our past lives. So you see, I met you in my past life."

"Oh..." The princess nodded again, gingerly stroking the golden mane as the regal creature laid her head down on her lap. "Well that would explain why I don't remember you. Not just because I was so young, but because you weren't a unicorn. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered seeing a unicorn no matter what age I was!"

"Yes, I'm sure too. Unicorns were always your favorite creatures to look at in books, when you were a baby."

Amber blinked back at her in surprise, "My, you must have been close to me, to know that... Were you one of my old nannies?"

She snorted softly back at the princess-bride, "Yes, we were close child, to say the least. Our close bond must have been what brought us together again like this. I wanted to see you and what you have become, and you wanted to see me, and what I have become. So here we are, as we have surely always been destined to be..."

Amber began to sniffle. Despite everything, she was still sad, and she just couldn't understand why. She had everything a person could hope for - Health, wealth, a loving husband, and now, she'd even gotten to fulfill her childhood dream, to meet a unicorn! But she was -still- sad... "I guess... I guess I just wish my mother could have been here today... I know it's silly. She died so long ago, and I have another mother now to see me get married... Life has been fairer to me than most other people, and yet I still feel like it's not fair..."

"It's very fair." The magnificent myth suddenly interrupted, sternly fixing those royal golden eyes upon her. "There's plenty of children in the world who need a good mother, and you have one. And yet, my foal waits for me because I must alleviate your sadness. Even though the unicorn race is scarce, I, as a good mother, cannot hear a pure-hearted maiden weeping on her wedding day, and not want to help... But child, you'll soon be a mother too, you know... And not just that, but a Queen! People will depend on you too..."

Delicately, the mythical mother reached up, and licked the tears falling down the princess's chin. "I know you can do it though. I wouldn't have revealed myself to you if I didn't believe you were worthy, no matter your current title or our past relationship. But, Princess Amber, I truly do believe in you..."

She sniffled one last time, then reached up and wiped her eyes with the back of her fists. "Thank you, so much, you dear, sweet thing... I don't suppose you might want to come raise your foal at the castle with me? You'd have the finest accommodations!" She couldn't help but try to coax her.

But the regal being shook her head, chortling, "I'm sorry, but I cannot accept, dear Princess. But for the most exceptional exceptions, our worlds are and must remain separate ones, and my current loyalties lie elsewhere. However, if you should ever need a reasonable favor, I would always help you if I could. And I'm sure you would always do the same for me and my kind?"

"Of course. Always." Amber agreed eagerly.

"Well then, I suppose all there is left now, is to not be late for your wedding!" The golden mare whinnied to her, and noticing her hesitation, she urged her on. "Come now child, we may not be able to see each other again for a long time, but if it will make you feel better, there should still be a portrait of the two of us in the castle attic. I'm sure your father would not have gotten rid of it..."

So finally, with the time and her duties in mind, Amber finally agreed to go, giving the unicorn one last hug around the neck before climbing back onto her own Pegasus, and flying back to Enchancia, just in time to get a rush job done on her hair after all before meeting Desmond at the alter, and sharing a sweet, chaste kiss with him beneath an arch of white and golden flowers.

Later that night, after a few shy dances with her hesitant husband, and a few more with her father, brother, mother and sister, Amber led her slightly tipsy prince (He'd only had one glass of wine!) off to her bed, tucking him in as he almost immediately passed out from exhaustion. Which was no big deal, since they hadn't exactly waited for the wedding, so it was no big deal if he just fell asleep tonight instead. They had the rest of their lives to be in love, after all, and it was the exact reason she'd insisted upon it from him the week before, just in case it should happen this way tonight either way.

So instead, since she was still burning with curiosity mostly about what the unicorn had told her, and not the 'mysteries' of the male body, Amber ascended the steps up to the castle attic, and began to search through the old paintings. There were quite a few of them, so she was searching for nearly half an hour before she found it. But when she found the painting, she immediately knew it was the right one as soon as she laid eyes on it, and confirmed the suspicions she'd already had, but was too scared to believe. She also immediately knew why the gracious unicorn had been so understanding about her not being a virgin...

After all, a good mother would never judge her child for that...

(The End!)


End file.
